Printing mechanism for vending-machines.



R. B. CRAIG & A. GOFFMAN.

PRINTING MECHANISM FOR VENDING MAGHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1909.

1 035,084. Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

2 BHEETS-SHEET 1.

Fig.5. 7 9 I I //6 R, B. CRAIG & A. GOPFMAN. PRINTING MECHANISM FORVEFIDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION IILED AUG. 24, 1909.

1,035,084. Patented Aug. 6,1912.

2 SHEETBBHBET 2.

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W GHQ (Mei? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT B. CRAIG AND ALBERT COFFMAN, 0F DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THEAUTO- MATIC VENDING MACHINES COMPANY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ACORPORA- TION OF NEW MEXICO.

PRINTING MECHANISM FOR VENDING-MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT B. CRAIG and ALBERT COFFMAN, citizens of theUnited States, and residents of Dayton, in the county of Montgomery andState of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPrinting Mechanism for Vending-Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to printing mechanisms for vendingmachines of the coin controlled type and is designed with especialreference to an insurance policy vending machine such as that disclosedin our co-pending application bearing Serial No. 465,182, and dated Nov.30, 1908.

The purpose of the invention is in providing a machine of the characterin question which will, when actuated, cause certain indicia of time tobe printed on a passing strip of paper and which is designed to operatein such manner that the printing impression is given instantaneously,thus avoiding the likelihood of blurring or otherwise marring thecharacters made.

A still further purpose of the present invention is in providing theprinting mechanism with means whereby the strip of paper on which theimpressions are made is fed by and cooperatively with the actuation ofsaid printing mechanism; and the actuating mechanism, which in thepresent instance is manually operated, is such that it may be actuatedat any time but without affecting either the printing operation or thefeeding of the paper unless a coin of the prescribed character shallhave first been inserted into the machine.

With these advantages the machine is described in full detail in thecourse of the following description and the points of novelty thereofset forth in the appended claims.

The invention is shown in its preferred structure in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein: I

Figure 1 illustrates a top plan view of a vending machine fitted withthe printing and paper feeding mechanism, Fig. 2 is a detail view,partly in section, of the actuating means, 3 is a side elevation, partlyin section, of the printing mechanism, Fig. 4 is a sectional view of themechanism taken Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 24, 1909. Serial No. 514,456.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

' across the machine, and Fig. 5 illustrates" the coin release detent.

Referring to the several figures, more in detail and wherein likereference characters lndicate corresponding parts in the different viewsshown, designates a shaft suitably journaled within the machine frameand which on its outer end is provided with manually operable means ofwhich the operation of the several parts of the machine is effected, andwhich operating mechanism will be fully described hereinafter. The shaft55 is provided with a pair of disks 57 and 58 keyed thereon andadjacently disposed (see Fig. 1), said disks having on their inner facesoppositely projectin pins 59 and 60", the former of which is disposedslightly in advance of the latter in the direction of rotation of thedisks. Upon a suitable support 63" of the machine frame is a plunger 62adapted to have vertical reciprocating movement therein and which on oneside is provided with a shoulder 61 projecting into the path of rotationof the pins 59 and 60 and adapted to be engaged and depressed thereby,successively, as said shaft 55 rotates.

The plunger 62 comprises a substantially two-part cylindrical shell inthe upper recessed portion of which is fitted a cushioning block orplaten 69 and in whose lower recess fits the post 64. Said plunger 62 isindependent of and is adapted to move freely on the post 64. Mountedupon said post is an impelling and retracting spring 5 which actuatesthe plunger. The spring 65 has a fixed connection with a collar 66carried by the post 64 and at its opposite end, said spring is fixed toa bar 67 forming part of the machine frame. The plunger 62 has alaterally extending arm 62* bifurcated to receive the guiding post 66whose function is to guide the plunger in its true path of operation.Each time the plunger 62 is depressed by a pin 59 or (30 and thereafterreleased by said pin passing out of the path of the shoulder 61, thespring 65 throws the )lunger upwardly with force sufiicient to e ectupon the strip of paper 74 such characters as have been brought into theproper position by the series of time recording disks 44, and for a moreamplified description thereof reference may mechanism through be had toapplicants co-pending application above referred to. I

Inasmuch as there are two pins 59 and 60 which successively engage theshoulder 61 and depress the plunger during a single revolution of-theshaft 55 two im rints are made dpring each revolution said shaft. Thisis of special advantage in the present mechanism by reason of thecharacter of the machine to which it is purposely constructed, since thepassing strip requires that two parts have identical markin s such asthe date and the time to be place upon the insurance policy whereby oneof the parts may serve as a positive identification means for the other.And since both impressions are made substantially at thesame time andthrough thesame means it 1s obvious that the impressions will beuniform.

- Moreover, the sprlng 65 so reduces duration of contact between thepaper and ribbon that the feed of the paper is pract cally 1nfinitesimalat that instant, thus "removing any tendency to blur.

The operating mechanism comprises the hand crank 55" mounted upon asleeve 101 which carries a disk 101, which members are free to rotateupon the shaft 55. The means for efiecting a frictional connectionbetween the hand crank 55 and the shaft 55 whereby the latter may'berotated. comprises a friction shoe 103 that is carried by an arcuate arm10 1 pivoted to the disk 101 at 105. The friction shoe is held normally'in contact with a smaller disk 106 fixed to the shaft 55 by a spring106, one endof which spring is fixed to a pin 106 carried on the innerface of the larger disk 101%. The frictional connection between the disk106 and the shoe 103 is such that there may be relative movement betweenthem; i. e., the shoe 103 may smoothly override the periphery of thedisk without causing the latter to have any movement. The means by whichthe shoe 103 and the disk 106 may positively engage in order to rotatethe shaft 55 is effectedw'hen theshaft 55 is released through the mediumof the coin controlled detent mechanism by a coin deposited inthe coinchute. The coin controlled detent comprises a cam disk 114: fixed uponthe shaft 55, and which is provided with a shoulder 115. A lever 117fulcrumed at 118 carries a pin 119 that normally lies between theshoulder 115 and the stop 116. A spring 117 anchored to the machineframe normally tends to keep the pin 119 in contact with the peripheryof the cam 114. The stop 116 is recessed on its under side 123 so thatwhen the pin 119 is depressed, it may pass through the recess 123 andpermit the cam disk 114 and the shaft 55 to rotate. The opposite; end ofthe lever 117 isindicated by a detent 124 pivoted at 125 and normallyheld in engagement with said lever by the spring 121 that has one endanchored to the machmeframe. An arm 126 extending from the detent 124 onthe opposite side of its fulcrum 125 proed to be struck by a comdeposited in the chute and cause the detent 124 to release itsengagement with the lever 117, whereupon the latter is caused todisengage from the cam disk 114 and permit the shaft 55 to be rotatedthroughthe mechanism and in the manner above described. At all othertimes, the shaft 55 is held against movement, but the shaft operatingmeans is free to be turned without in the least affecting said shaft 55.It will, therefore, be clear that by reason of this peculiar manner'ofefi'ecting the operation of the machine by a hand crank that ispermanently exposed will serve in the capacity of a safe-guard againstthe likelihood of the machine mechanism being rendered inoperativethrough any tampering of the hand lever, which tampering mustnecessarily be reckoned with in machines of the type mentioned,especially when the same are stationed in places remote from theobservance of an overseer.

The strip of paper 74: is fed from a reel suitably supported upon themachine, and

passes over the bedlate 71 until it receives its impression in enstantially that manner above described. The bed-plate 71 is provided onits opposite side edges with co-extensive grooves 77, the purposewhereof being to admit s urs 79 of the two endless chains 78, whic.spurs projecting through said grooves penetrate the marginal side edgesof the sheet and feed thexsame at a rate commensurate with the printingoperations as described. The chains 78 are mounted-upon a pair of idlesprockets on a shaft 81 and driving sprockets 82 on a shaft 83, whichshaft is geared through pinions 84 and 85 to the crank operating shaft55*. By thus feeding the paper by the same means that actuates therecording mechanism', it will be obvious that blank forms on the passingstrip will always be presented in the proper relation to receive thedistinguishing imprint following which said printed blanks are severedand ejected from the machine.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new therein anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a recording apparatus, the combine tion of a character carryingelement, a printing platen coeperating therewith, comprising a tubularmemberhaving a shoulder,.a support on which the tubular member ismounted and has movement a collar movable on the support, a guide forthe tubular member, an impelling and retracting spring mounted on saidsupport and having one end fixed thereto, and the other end thereof,connected with the collar of the support, and a rotary member having twoparts adapted to successively engage with the shoulder of, and depressthe platen whereby to tension the spring and cause itto effect theprinting stroke of the platen.

2. In a recording apparatus, the combination of a character carryingelement, a printing platen cooperating therewith comprising a tubularmember having a shoulder, a support, a vertically disposed bar on saidsupport and having mounted thereon the tubular member, a collar movableon the vertical bar, an impelling and retracting spring mounted on saidbar and having one end secured to the support and the other end thereofconnected with the movable collar, and a rotary member having two partsadapted to successively engage with the shoulder and depress the platenwhereby to tension the spring and cause it to effect the printingstroke.

The foregoing specification signed at Dayton, Ohio, this 10 day of July,1909.

ROBERT B. CRAIG. ALBERT COFFMAN.

In presence of two witnesses- H. M. WALSH, I. A. BRAUM.

